A sample analyzer for analyzing samples such as blood and blood plasma using a plurality of reagents is conventionally known.
In recent years, the number and types of reagent containers to be arranged in the reagent arranging section of the sample analyzer are increasing to increase the number of measurement items and to improve the processing speed. There are also the needs of the user to use reagent containers of various sizes according to the usage state of the reagent.
However, if the number of reagent containers that can be arranged in the reagent arranging section is simply increased, the mechanism of the reagent arranging section enlarges, whereby the necessity to enlarge the device arises.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005-084426 discloses a sample analyzer using a reagent cassette in which two reagent containers for one measurement item are fixed with a connecting tool, and in which a barcode label recorded with information of the reagent contained in the two reagent containers and information of the respective aspirating position of the two reagent containers is provided, as described in FIG. 2 and paragraph.
However, in an automatic analyzer described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005-084426, in order to respond analysis of multiple items, a reagent cassette in which plurality of reagent containers is fixed with the connecting tool must be prepared in great numbers in advance, and the barcode label recorded with information of the type of the cassetted reagent and the aspirating position of the reagent container must be prepared. Thus, when a need to perform analysis of multiple items arises, it becomes difficult to respond immediately.